Binding post



I 1,642,695 Sept 20, w. H. MPHREY BINDING POST Filed Feb. 9. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 rmm Sept. 20, 1927.

w. H. PUMPHREY BINDING POST Filed Feb. 9. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 20, 1927.

- wires.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER mums PUMPHREY, or NEW YORK, N". Y.

BINDING ros'r.

Application filed February 9, 1926. Serial No. 87,743.

My invention, while not limited in its use, is specially designed, as-herein embodled, to

serve as a bind' g post for electric circuit The object, primarily, is to insure good electrical contact between the bindmg post and the wire or wires engaged by it. This is accomplished by causing the circuit wire to be held under strong spring pressure.

A further object is to enable engagement or disengagement of a circuit wire to be instantly effected. This is brought about) by. so constructing the post that the compression of a spring, conveniently held between the thumb and finger, opens the clamp'for the insertion of the circuit wire, which is immediately gripped under the full pressure of the spring, as the spring is released and allowed to expand.

-A further object is to produce, as a preferred form of post, a one-piece device which,

in being shaped up from a single length of wire, involves no waste of metal in manu. facture and employs no removable or de- .taohable parts to loosen up and become misplaced or-lost. Various additional pointslof advantage will appear from the, following description.' y The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate several constructions suitable for carrying my invention into efiect. I wish it understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the forms shown, as same may be modified to a considerable extent without de-c parting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

' In the drawingsf Fig.1 is a view in elevation of a preferred form of binding post; I

Fig 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 8 of Fi 1;.

1 Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a modification; I

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 8, s, of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is-a vertical sectional view on the line 8518*, of Fig. 4, showing the preliminary step in securing the post inposition' by means of an ordinary woo screw;

Fig.6 is a similar view showing the post fully advanced and secured by the screw; Fig. 7 shows a further modificationin which the wire engaging member is formed with two notches instead of one as in Figs. 1 and 3;

ably bent or inclined Fig. 8 shows an additional modificationin which the spring is scoping casing. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a final modification, and i in use g p 4 Referring now to the drawings, the binding post shown in F igs. 1 and 2 is formed from asingle length of wire, shaped into a cone-shaped helical spring 1, which terminates at its larger end in a wire-engaging loop member 2, relatively arranged to 600perate with smaller end of the spring as a wire clamp.

' It will be observed that the wire engaging ,member 2 lies within and is normally .en--

closed by the spring and that to present or make the member available for the insertion of a circuit wire, it is only necessary to grasp the smaller end of the spring between the thumb and finger and apply suflicient pressure to compress the spring. This results in exposing andclearing the upper end of the loop and after the circuit wire is inserted the release of the spring permits it to expand and force the wire into close contact with the loop member, where it is held under the full tension of the entire spring.

To meetthe demand for a bindin post adapted to be'secured to a board or table by an ordinary wood screw, the binding post above described may have such a screw enclosed by a teleformed integrally with it, as indicated at 3, v

or, if preferred, a second loop 4 may be formed either interiorly of the helix, as

as a soldering clip -for securing a fixed cir-' cuit wire to the post. When the loop is formed interiorly of the spring, it is preferupward, as shown in Fig. 5, sothat when sli ped under the screwhead, as in Fig. 6, Sn cient tension will be created to hold the post securely and firmly in position. In addition to thistension, there is also a cooperating gripping action of the loop, the entrance to which is somewhat contracted, as indicated-at 6.

For use on a panel, a machine screw and nutmay be employed to secure the 0st in position, as shown, for example, in 1g. 8.

From the foregoing it-will be apparent that by compressing the spring sufliciently,

loop projects, as shown.

35 smaller diameter.

' V as above described, to exposev more or less of the wire-engaging loop. member, several wires may be effectively engaged and held, as 'a single wire.

6 The modification shown in Fig. 7 illus trates a form of wire-engaging loop designed to receive two or more circuit wires by being provided with two (notches instead of one, as in the other figures.

10 The modification shown in Fig. 9, .con-

sists mainly in the addition of a telescoping caslng 7 for enclosing the spring, the casing being provided with either a slot or requisite openings, through which the wire-engaging The operation or method of use does not differ from that above described.

.The modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10,

. operateson the-same principle and employs the essential main features of the several forms above described but differs in a num-' ber of structural details.

s shown, a flattened helical spring 1, is us d, instead of a helix of cone-shape or of 2 uniform diameter. Further, the upper turn of the spring is extended in both directions,

as indicated at 8, to provide a convenient thumb and fingerbearing for applying pressure to compress the spring to expose the wire-engaging loop, as in Fig. 10.

, 40 ofthe circuit wire.. This is of advantage when working in the dark or semi-darkness.

The binding-post, constructed as illustrated in Figs.'9 and 10', is formed-from a single length of wire, and, in addition to the features above mentioned, there is also provided a soldering lug 4*, for connection with a fixed-circuit wire, the soldered joint being indicated at 9 and an eyelet 4 ,.fora'screw or bolt 5 by means of which the p'o'st is se,cured to aboard of panel.

The many important advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ,foregoing description. v

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: 1. A binding post comprising a wire-engaging member having one end shaped as an encircling helical spring, the upper turn of which cooperates with the member as a wire clamp.

2. A binding post formed from a single length of wire and comprising a circuit wire engaging member terminating at one endina helical spring arranged to encircle the member and co-acting therewith to. grip the wire. I

3. A binding post comprising a helical spring having one end bent up as a wire engaging member extending through the helix into cooperativerelation with the opposite end thereof.

4. A binding post comprising a coneshape-d helical spring bent atthe larger end to form two loops, one of which cooperates with the smaller end of the spring as a'wire clamp and fastening means for the post engaging the other loop.

5. A binding post consistin of a single" length of wire bent as a cone-s aped helical spring terminating at the larger end in a loop extending throu h the helix into co-' operative relation with the smaller end thereof.

WALTER HYERS PUMPHREY. 

